High-ranking bishop to join pilgrimage

The second-highest-ranked bishop in the Church of England
will visit Dunedin and join a pilgrimage through Otago to mark
200 years of gospel in New Zealand.

The Archbishop of York, the Most Rev Dr John Sentamu, who
will be accompanied by his wife, Margaret Sentamu, will be
based at the University of Otago as the Harold Turner
Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Theology and Public Issues
during his March 9-29 stay.

He and his wife will present the keynote addresses at the
''Poverty - Global and Local'' symposium in Dunedin on March
17. The visit occurs as the Anglican Church prepares to
celebrate the bicentennial of the beginnings of the Christian
gospel in New Zealand.

On March 22, Archbishop Sentamu (64) will join the Bishop of
Dunedin, the Rt Rev Dr Kelvin Wright, on his pilgrimage in
the Queenstown and Wanaka areas.

The archbishop will also visit New Plymouth, Christchurch,
Wellington and Auckland and will attend the liturgical
welcome for the Bishop of Waikato, the Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann
Hartley - the first woman in the Church of England to be
ordained a bishop.

Archbishop Sentamu, a former a Ugandan high court judge who
was jailed during President Idi Amin's reign, before escaping
and fleeing to England, said during his last visit to New
Zealand he was deeply moved by the traditional Maori welcome,
the hongi.

''I am greatly looking forward to returning to New Zealand
for this opportunity to study, worship and witness
together.''

Archbishop of the New Zealand Dioceses the Most Rev Philip
Richardson said the work and leadership of Archbishop Sentamu
brought passion to issues facing societies across the globe,
including inequality, indigenous rights and the need to
provide for the younger generations.

''We look forward to the engagement Archbishop Sentamu and
Margaret will bring to issues that face us as society and as
a church in Aotearoa, New Zealand,'' he said.